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Winning the championship is the primary goal of any football team, or any sports team at all really. There is only one reason to go out and play and that is to win the championship. A championship season is not only rewarding to the players that duke it out on the field, but also to the fans that root them on. Cities and regions should be very proud of their championship winning teams.

Baltimore is a great football town and professional football has been present there in one form or another for more than 60 years. Many people don’t know this, but four different professional football teams have won championships while representing the city of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Ravens – 2000

The last Baltimore team to win a league title in pro football was the team that currently represents the city in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens began as a franchise in 1996, having been active as the Cleveland Browns the previous year. They had a few tough years, but in 2000 everything came together behind a strong running game and an out of this world defense. They ended up defeating the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV.

The Baltimore Colts – 1958, 1959, and 1970

The Baltimore Colts won championships three times. In 1958, they defeated the New York Giants for the NFL title in what many would refer to as the greatest game ever played. After trailing most of the 1959 title game, the Colts would eventually score 24 unanswered points and defeat the Giants in a rematch of the previous year’s championship game by the score of 31-16. The Colts won their third league title in 1970 when they beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl V by the score of 27-17. Technically, the Colts have a fourth title as they were champions of the NFL in 1968, but went on to lose Super Bowl III to the New York Jets of the American Football League before the two leagues merged.

The Baltimore Stars – 1985

The Stars franchise had played the first two seasons of their time in the USFL in the city of Philadelphia. The team was moved to Baltimore for 1985 and though they weren’t as successful as they had been in the past, they were able to make it into the playoffs. The magic was still there though and they marched through the post season and would win the last championship game in USFL history by defeating the Oakland Invaders.

The Baltimore Stallions – 1995

The Canadian Football League expanded into the United States in the mid 1990’s, and one of the cities that got a team was Baltimore. In 1995, their second season, the Baltimore Stallions not only won their division, but they became the first team based in America to win the Grey Cup as champions of the Canadian Football League. The team was gone the next year as they were moved to Montreal and renamed the …

In boxing defence and offence are achieved via the padded fists. Generally four types of punches exist. All other punches are basically variants of the below. If a boxer is right handed, his lead foot will be his left, and vice versa – the leading hand providing faster punches, the rear conversely used for power punches (more power is employed with the rear hand through weight distribution and greater momentum).

Stance

The modern boxing stance is a reflection of the current system of rules employed by professional boxing. It differs in many ways from the typical boxing stances of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s been stated that Americans adopted a more upright vertical armed guard (as opposed to more horizontally held, knuckles facing the ground guard as seen when looking at early 19th century boxers such as Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, etc.) due to the Americans’ confrontations with the Filipino natives as a result of the Philippines Spanish-American war. When engaged in hand to hand combat, the Filipinos would slash the wrists of the American soldiers, the Americans adapted by changing the guarded stance and is thus just one example of a boxing technicality evolving.

The boxer must stand with the legs shoulder-width apart. The boxer places the lead foot (the left foot for a right-handed fighter, the right foot for a left-hander (southpaw) more forward than the back foot so the front foot’s heel is in line with the back foots toes. The toes point straight forward, towards the opponent. The lead fist (the jabbing fist) is carried in front, half a dozen inches in front of the face at eye level (both arms should always be held straight and vertical – in line with the shoulders). The back fist is held against the chin and the arm lies in place against the body to protect the rib cage.

Knockouts are usually scored with punches to the chin. Modern boxers can sometimes be seen “tapping” their cheeks or foreheads with their fist in order to remind themselves to kept their fists up in this defensive position (which becomes difficult during long bouts). The torso is kept straight and the chin is tucked into the lead shoulder (which is often kept tense to further protect the chin).

Movement

Modern boxers are taught to “push off” with their feet in order to move effectively. Forward motion involves lifting the lead leg and pushing with the rear leg. Rearward motion involves lifting the rear leg and pushing with the lead leg. During lateral motion the leg in the direction of the movement moves first while the opposite leg provides the force needed to move the body.…

As the name suggests, Sports Journalism reports on sports topics and events and it is an essential element of any news media organization. Today a career in sports is at its boom and which also brings wonderful career opportunities for sports journalists as well. Television, radio, magazines, internet have become an integral part of people's life. Many of them are ardent fans of different sports; they switch to TV, websites, newspaper for getting latest updates and news in their sports. Thus, the scope of sports journalism is increasing gradually. Sports Journalism prepares students to sports reporting career and also introduces them with the writing of a sports writer and media professionals use.

But still a lot to done in this field, it is disappointing to say that there are not enough good sports magazines in Indian languages. A couple of English magazines are available in the market which cater with the need of limited fans but many sports loving people who are not comfortable in English do not enjoy this privilege.

Today it is a rewarding vocation which requires talented and skilled media professionals. To be a journalist you need to know inside out of your subject and have a passion to make a mark in this vocation.

It also demands lot of hard work and onus. However, rewards are lucrative, a journalist gets box seats at the games, meets internationals sports star, gets lot of exposure while traveling from one country to another, getting to know the people who train Olympics athletes and fame appreciations from the readers and fans.

Today, internet has become an important part of sports journalism. Almost all journalists have to start from ground zero. So if you are an aspiring Journalist, you can start with your own blogs on your favorite team or particular sport. This helps you to build up your portfolio of self-published clips and if any sports organization finds your blog interesting then you could also get a chance to work with them.

Today Sports Journalism has turned into long form writing, it also produces popular books on sports which include biographies, history and investigations. Many western countries have their own national association of sports journalists. In India there has been recent growth in Sports Journalism. The sports column in various leading newspapers is widely popular among readers. Indians today not just appreciate cricket but they have also understood the importance of other sports also like football, hockey, wrestling, boxing etc.

You could go for a degree in sports journalism which could enhance your writing and reporting skills and also trains you efficiently in the areas sports. You would learn to write technical details about a sport in a simple manner. One could also opt for journalism and match reporting course which deals with going to sport games, sporting events, and venues, meeting with players then reporting all this to sports crazy audience.

The career opportunities in sports journalism are – match reporter, freelance sports journalist and sports writer. You would …

1. In-depth knowledge. As a sports writer, it’s very important that you know and deeply understand the sports that you are writing about. That is why, it is highly recommended that you focus your attention on those sports that you’re playing in the past or those that you find really, really interesting. It will also help if you watch the games and if you do your research. I am pretty sure that there are a lot of traditional books and magazines about any sport that you can think of.

2. High level writing skills. Having in-depth working knowledge on your chosen sports isn’t enough. As a writer, it’s important that you know how to put together great content that your readers will find not only informative but entertaining as well. Improve your writing skills by simply reading as many sports articles as possible, by attending sports writing seminars, and by learning from renowned sports writers.

3. Topics. There are so many topics that you can cover when you are a sports writer. However, if you really want to capture the attention of your target audience, you must focus your attention on those that they find really, really interesting. Aside from writing about the latest games, you can also write human interest stories. For example, you can write problems that affect the lives of certain players (like Tiger Woods and his marital problem) or write an article about certain NBA teams who are doing charity work. These types of topics will surely help you get your audience to read your articles.…

The history of boxing gloves dates back to three thousand years ago and there have been significant changes in the make up of gloves. Major changes were initiated by the Greek Olympians who made the usage of hardened leather straps so that they could protect their knuckles well. The Greeks shared the information with the Romans and the Romans took the entire sport to a whole new level. However the Romans were the people who added in some extra fittings to the gloves that resulted in the loss of many lives, thus making the game more complex and thereby requiring rules which were strict in nature. Things turned to be so complex that the entire sport had to be banned in 30. B. C. However the sport did not vanish completely, still there was illegal existence of men fighting with bare knuckles.

However in the 17th century there was reemergence of boxing and there was introduction of the boxing gloves in the ring. But still there was a special preference given to fighting with bare knuckles. There was still prevalence of fighters losing their lives inspite of the fact that the sport was declared illegal.

However the sport gained respect with the inclusion of Marquis of Queensbury rules and on the provision of compulsion on the usage of gloves within the ring. In the 19th century there was revival of the sport as a legal procedure and it was free to be progressed. It was after this that there was wider utility of boxing gloves, and as a result there are different types of boxing gloves available in the market. These days you can find the gloves for different categories let it be for youth with the trendy models, male, female, competition and even the non competition styles. This is because boxing is considered as a very good form of exercise, so there are diverse requirements of boxing gloves for the people on competing level and the people not practicing on a professional level. Further boxing gloves are even used these days for the different forms of martial arts like the kickboxing. As far as kickboxing is considered there is much usage of feet however to meet the adequate safety levels gloves are used.

There are different types of gloves designed to cater to some particular purpose, like for example you have the speed bag glove which has an extra padding than the padded leather mittens. Because in some form of games there is wider importance given to the speed and with the speed bag gloves the main aim is to protect the knuckles against the speed of the competitor.

Incase you are using a heavier punching bag then it is essential that you use a heavier bag glove, in this case the speed doesn’t matter much but the force matters so in this case the heavier bag glove intends to provide more protection to the hands and the wrist of the boxer. These gloves have extra foam padding and …

Have you always thought that the professional boxers are the only one who go for boxing training programs? This is a completely wrong idea as there are many people who prefer boxing just to keep their body fit and active. An active body is the key to success from all aspects. In fact boxing is the only sport which not only makes your body strong but it also strengthens your mind.

Apart from the regular diet and exercise programs start practicing boxing for at least half an hour a day. Who knows gradually you will become the champion boxer of your locality as well as an efficient worker at the office. Many of you believe that boxing is just the right way to improve the muscles and make your legs and arms more active. But this is for your information that boxing will improve your self-defense, concentration and confidence.

Techniques of Boxing

A perfect boxing training is all about few right movements and a lot of hard work. The most popular moves are power punches, aerobic moves, sparring jabs and kicks actions. If you practice the moves under the supervision of a skilled trainer then the chances are very high that you will own a perfectly shaped body with extreme swiftness and reflex.

This is also a good way to burn the excess flab around your tummy. Did you know that if you practice full fledged boxing for one hour without taking short breaks then you will end up loosing almost 500 calories?

The heart rate is maintained at around 80{5807dd84655f4134ecd9e5329f6029a509ca345e8618f0c2e20323bdeed6de70}. The boxing programs are different for various levels. The beginners start with the nominal boxing schedules and gradually move to the next level when they are very much comfortable with the existing level.

How to Start Boxing?

Yesternight you and your family decided that you should start boxing and you will start it from the next morning – this is not possible as you need to do little preparation for this. First of all find out a place at home where you can start practicing the basic kicks and punches with a sandbag.

You can turn your backyard or a garage into a boxing ground. Buy some good quality gloves as they are the most important equipment for the boxers. Then you will need a tutor who can teach you the core techniques of boxing. Yes you can seek help from the boxing videos and books but the best way to learn is to get someone who can show you the punches and hits practically. If you do not have anybody at home who can help you this way then go ahead and join the nearest boxing club to stay fit forever.…

One of the most famous faces from 1960’s National Football League football was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Bart Starr. The Packers were the dominant team of the era, winning multiple NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowls ever played as well. During his career, he threw 152 touchdown passes, and many of them were quite impressive or game changing events too. Bart Starr was not statistically overwhelming, but he seemed to come up biggest in the big games. That, combined with his knack for not making many mistakes, made him one of the main quarterbacks that other teams had to worry about during the day. Who was his favorite receiver though during his career?

Boyd Dowler of the Green Bay Packers caught more touchdown passes thrown by Bart Starr than anyone else ever did. Dowler caught both short passes and long bombs for touchdowns during his career. He did have the advantage of playing the bulk of his career with Starr, having caught his first touchdown pass from him n 1959 and his last one in 1969. Dowler is not the most famous Green Bay Packers player ever, but it is probably safe to say that Bart Starr remembered him well.

Here are the top five receivers based on how many touchdown passes Bart Starr threw to them.

#1 – Boyd Dowler – 28

#2 – Max McGee – 25

#3 – Carroll Dale – 19

#4 – Ron Kramer – 12

#5 – Paul Hornung – 11

Seeing those names is like a walk down memory lane for anyone who remembers the true glory days of Green Bay Packers football. That era’s Packers were one of the best teams ever and quarterback Bart Starr was a big reason why.…

The World Cup is soccer's biggest stage – it is the championship of the most widely played sport in the all of the world. The talk, preparation and qualifying for each incarnation of the World Cup tournament seems to be going on all the time – but the final of soccer's biggest tournament only take place during a one month period every four years.

Many fans, clubs and organizations argue that the World Cup tournament itself, as well as the sport of soccer would benefit greatly from increasing the frequency of soccer's world championship tournament. Some present very valid points and cite that other major sporting events that hold tournaments on an international level are capable of organizing those tournaments once every year.

There is no doubt that the World Cup's allure would not be hurt by holding the tournament every three or even every two years. It would probably increase soccer's international popularity and would certainly do well to increase the tournaments revenue potential – holding the tournament every two years would, in effect, double the amount of revenue created by the biggest international sports tournament. Reducing the number of years between World Cup tournaments would most likely also allow the qualifying team's players to be more recognizable to fans – the players would be in front of the fans and on a big stage potentially twice as many times during their careers. This could potentially make fans feel more connected and attached to the players on the World Cup teams and possibly even cause an increase in the amount of people who tune in to watch the World Cup finals.

Why Every Four Years?

World Cup purists argue that every four years is ideal for the tournament and it is relatively unlikely that any change in World Cup frequency will actually occur – at least within the near future. It does take quite a bit of preparation to get ready for a month long tournament which draws in teams from more than thirty countries and fans from probably more nations than that.

The host country is voted on and selected long before the tournament will actually be held and the lengths to which the organizers go to ensure that everything is not just prepared, but perfect for each World Cup tournament are truly exhaustive. Other major sports tournaments may host players and fans from all over the world but few, if any can match the sheer magnitude of the World Cup tournament.

More than 200 countries will vie for a spot in the final phase of the World Cup tournament in 2010 to be held in South Africa, and of those more than 200, only thirty one teams will make the cut to appear in the World Cup (the South African team receives an automatic bye to compete as the host nation, making the total team count an even thirty two.) Many believe that trying to cram all of the qualifying and all of the necessary preparation into …

12. Gender Equalization: Kiteboarding started out as a male dominated sport as so many other extreme sports have in the past. Until the advent of the Bow/SLE kites kiting was generally difficult to master. Recent kites and lesson techniques have made the kiting less muscle and more finesse. From my observations, women are not only taking more lessons but are also making there presence known on the water.

11. Kiteboarding Families: Father and son, husband and wife; brothers,sisters, mom’s and dad’s all taking lessons together, traveling together and moreover riding together. Simular to going on a snowboard or ski vacation, more families are making their plans around the windy spots.

10. Kite Kiddies: As with families, dad wants to see junior riding. As teaching techniques improve, more and more kids are making and appearance in the water. Safety, always a number one concern, kids equipment will be modified for their smaller frames.

9. Safety: Safety is the ever evolving process that keeps the sport more user friendly. Better quick releases, universal color coding, and kite depower modifications are leading the way to a safer operation.

8. Cost: The reality is, kites are cheap. Most manufactured in Asia, for pennies on the dollar. Kites are getting cheaper to manufacture, and that cost savings will be passed on the consumer. On the other hand, in the next couple of years there are going to be the release of the first super high-end kite. Made from super materials.

7. Materials: There will always be ripstop nylon. But, kites may follow the trends of sailboat and windsurfer sails. Mylar, cubin, aramid for the sails, and better spectra and dyneema for the lines. Board construction, runs the gamut from pvc all the way to snowboard style sandwich construction. On the other hand, few companies have jumped aboard the green wave that is beginning to take root in the surfing industry. Bamboo and hemp on one end and all recycled materials rounding it out.

6. Progression: In the past couple of years, a new generation of tricks have found there way to water. Gone are the days, of one footers and dead man’s. Sliders, mega moves and multiple tricks are becoming common place due to combination of snowboard and wakeboarding. Surf style continues to gain ground and more spots are being kitesurfed.

5. Kiteboarding Space: On one hand, more and more kitespots are in jeopardy due to litigation, user competition and environmental impact. Yet, many more spots open up each year. Similarly, kiters are welcomed as an economic boost to many communities. In the future, some areas will be closed, while a new trend of more kiteboarding parks will arise (Real Kiteboarding)You’ll pay for full amenities, patrol, lessons, exclusive features (sliders, kickers, etc.)Also, destination kiteboarding spots, like Tavarua in the surf world, are ready to be found. Luxury meets isolation.

4. Micro Forecasting; This the trend that most interests me. Anyone can open a computer, go to ten thousand different forecasts, weather reports, and make a …